#ecovative design

[focusonthegoodnews]

Can Mushrooms Actually Help Save the Planet? Good News Notes: "In college, Eben Bayer grew mushrooms under his dorm room bed. The mechanical engineering student, who had grown up on a Vermont farm, was convinced the fungus was one of nature's most effective "technologies" and could be used to overhaul the way we make a range of everyday products.

[wonderofscience-blog]

NASA Scientists Create Biodegradable Fungus Drone

NASA Scientists Create Biodegradable Fungus Drone

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s a… fungus drone? Yep, scientists have created a “biological drone” made mostly out of biodegradable substances, including fungal material, and it has just completed its first flight. Drones are handy little things. They can be used to stealthily spy on enemy territory, explore remote locations, protect endangered species from poaching and chase storms, to name…

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[lisaleaks]

The flying fungus: NASA's biodegradable drone that flies and dies

The flying fungus: NASA’s biodegradable drone that flies and dies

If the drone crashes into a sensitive place, like a coral reef, it just harmlessly disappears.

Drones are handy little things. They can be used to stealthily spy on enemy territory or your neighbor, explore remote locations, protect endangered species from poaching, chase storms, mapping forest fires, and studying Mars, to name a few. In the future, they might even be delivering your packages.…

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[pipsrewards]

Add Mushrooms To Your Packaging With Ecovative Design

Last Friday, The Sustainable Furnishings Council hosted a conference in Washington DC focusing on healthy and environmentally smart choices for the manufacturing industry and its consumers.

Innovative materials was one of many topics discussed during the six hour conference, and featured Gavin McIntyre, co-founder and Chief Scientist of Ecovative Design. PIPs Rewards CMO Liza Haffenberg attended and caught the lively discussion:

"Gavin’s story about Ecovative's revolutionary material technology blew me away! The fact that you can GROW - not manufacture - high performance materials is truly fantastic. Replacing plastics and foams that has such a terrible impact on our environment. In Gavin’s words, there doesn’t need to be a compromise on material, cost or planet."

Ecovative Design’s mission is to create sustainable design of consumer materials. They are a bio materials company focused on developing innovative materials from natural growth processes, and a great example of innovation in the packaging industry in particular.

Ecovative grows materials made from agricultural byproduct and mushroom mycelium. That’s right - materials made from mushrooms!

If you’ve never heard the word mycelium before, Ecovative explains it as a “natural, self-assembling glue, digesting crop waste to produce cost-competitive and environmentally responsible materials that perform.” Watch exactly how these biobased mushroom materials are made here:

You may find that you’ve already encountered mushroom mycelium in packaging without even realizing it. Since it performs exactly like foam, it can be used to ship fragile products like wine bottles, paddle boards, and computers.  Companies such as Dell, Crate & Barrel, & Puma have all adopted Ecovative’s mushroom packaging to safely and successfully ship their products to customers. Best of all, it’s extremely cost competitive, proving to be healthy for the planet as well as manufacturer budgets.  As a society, we are addicted to the plastics and foams that are poisoning our planet, but mushroom materials are high-performance, environmentally responsible alternatives to traditional plastic foam packaging, insulation and other synthetic materials.

It’s a welcome relief that we can look to nature to grow, and not manufacture, the next generation of these kinds of materials.   The very insightful discussions from all six hours of Friday’s conference are available to check out at the Sustainable Furnishings YouTube channel.

[assistar-video]

TED: Ecovative Design의 CEO Eben byaer, 버섯이 플라스틱을 대체할 수 있는가?

농업부산물과 균사체로 만들어진 포장 용기 EcoCradle: http://assistar.tumblr.com/post/29036890303/ecocradle

TED 영상 페이지 바로가기 (자막과 함께 시청 가능)

[assistar-blog]

EcoCradle

Ecovative Design은 플라스틱 등을 대체할 수 있는, 환경에 해를 덜 끼치는 소재를 개발하는 기업입니다. Ecovative Design에서 개발한 EcoCradle은 농업 부산물과 균사체(mycelium)를 섞어 5일에서 7일 정도 어두운 곳에 두고 길러내는 소재로 만들어지는 포장 용기입니다. 스티로폼부터 발암성 물질인 포름알데히드를 쓰는 파티클 보드까지 다양한 소재를 대체할 수 있습니다. 농업 과정에서 발생한 부산물-식물의 줄기나 씨앗의 껍질 등-으로 만드는 데다가 다시 사용하는 것도 가능하고, 땅에 묻으면 흙으로 분해됩니다. 제조 과정에서 플라스틱보다 적은에너지가 들며, 재생 가능하고, 지역에서 생산이 가능합니다. 또한 원료값도 저렴하고, 집에서 쓰레기를 처리할 수 있습니다.

http://www.mushroompackaging.com

[chiefandmischief]

Nice.  I found a write-up with above video in the Times, "Dot Earth" section (by Andrew Revkin, published on February 14, 2012 for full article). 

Great concept (and what a relief to my persistent anxiety about how to manage internet shipping needs!  There is something out there for chief&mischief to turn to!)  Thank you Ecovative Design.

I disagree with one aspect of Mr. Bayer's comments, you need to be able to do your calculus problems (sorry kids).  If you can feel it, and also have the discipline to "do the math," you are all the more prepared for the variety of challenges that you will certainly face as an innovator.  #mathgirlsraawk!!!

@ecovative